The Hanford Fox Theatre will present a showcase of films by David Dibble, a filmmaker from Hanford, at 2pm on December 21. The showcase will include “Adonis,” his ten-minute film that has been winning awards at film festivals, including the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival.
Adonis is a romantic comedy about a guy (James Snyder) who hires a dating service that supplies him with a cute dog named Adonis as a “chick magnet.” The film includes a cameo by Ernie Hudson (“Ghostbusters,” “Oz,” “The Crow”) and features an extraordinarily talented dog named Jimmy.
“He’s a Hollywood-trained dog,” Dibble explained. “The movie depends on the dog.” Jimmy, who has been featured in movies, films and commercials, impressed everyone who attended the filming. “The cast and crew gave him a standing ovation after his scenes,” Dibble said.
“The idea (for ‘Adonis’) came out about 10 years ago when a friend and I were trading rejection stories and saying that what we really needed was a dog,” said Dibble, adding that the two were on the set of “Planet of the Apes” at the time, where they were working as extras. “We were gorillas,” he admitted.
“Adonis” was shot on green screen, enabling Dibble to add the backgrounds later, which he did using real dollhouses, most bought on eBay, miniature landscapes and model railroads. The filming only took a week, but creating the backgrounds and combining them with the live action took about three years. Dibble’s mother, Beverlee, painted and decorated the dollhouses and, along with his father, Tom, also built a few from kits.
“It was a very slow, painful process,” he commented, but he knows he is doing exactly what he has wanted to do for a long time.
“I’ve been wanting to be a filmmaker since the seventh grade, so it’s been a while,” he said. “My parents bought a videocamera for Christmas so I dressed my brother as Santa Claus and our neighbors as elves. I was sold at that point that this us what I wanted to do.”
Dibble, who now lives in Long Beach, lived in Hanford until college. As a tribute to his hometown, the afternoon will also feature his films made in Hanford, starting with the first film he made as a child. Highlights of the award-winning documentary “Fort Roosevelt Requiem” will be screened and his latest film, “Moon-Lite,” a six-and-a-half minute film about an eccentric old man, based on a children’s book he wrote, and starring Hanford residents Jim Parks and Aaron Cano, will premiere.
“I use Hanford quite a bit,” said Dibble. “I consider it my studio backlot. I love to shoot in Hanford because people are genuinely excited to help and there are a lot of interesting locations.”
Renowned puppeteer and Hanford resident, Randel McGee, will host the Hanford Fox event along with his dragon, Groark.
“I credit him with being one of my influences,” Dibble said about seeing McGee perform as a child. “I’ve really been fascinated and amazed at this dragon. He’s been a role model and inspiration, and I am happy he’s going to be part of the show.”
Tickets are available at www.foxhanford.com or by calling theater at 584-7423. Prices are $8 for adults and $4 for children. Prices at the door will be $10 for adults and $5 for children.
For more information, visit www.adonisthemovie.com or www.foxhanford.com, or contact the theater at [email protected] or 584-7423.